3 Portland businessmen disavow affiliation with Trump event

CP

SEATTLE — Three Portland businessmen listed on an invitation for an upcoming Seattle fundraiser for Donald Trump say they have no plans to attend the Republican presidential nominee's event later this month.

The Seattle Times reported Monday (http://bit.ly/2aGhLxy) that Peter Stott, president of Portland-based Columbia Investments, said he had no role in the campaign and did not approve the use of his name for the Aug. 30 event.

Gordon Sondland and Bashar Wali, Portland-based executives of Provenance Hotels, issued a statement to the Willamette Week citing Trump's treatment of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq, as one reason they don't support Trump.

A month ago, Sondland had been announced as Trump's Oregon finance chairman.

Republican state Sen. Doug Ericksen, a Trump campaign leader in Washington, said the draft invitation had been prematurely circulated before plans had been finalized.